


Of the First of December and Peppermint Lattes

by Thegreenofyoureyes



Series: Christmas Fics 2015 [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 12:33:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5334260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreenofyoureyes/pseuds/Thegreenofyoureyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ashton and Luke are cute, fluffy boyfriends that enjoy the start of the holidays together by drinking a festive drink.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of the First of December and Peppermint Lattes

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to @Tanniri on Tumblr for being the best best friend and beta possible. Thank you also for putting up with all the brainstorming that this project has taken. You are, in many ways, my Christmas gift. This piece is the first part of a Christmas thing I'm doing where I post a fic a day, based on the day, up until Christmas. Hope you enjoy it!

Ashton hadn't even realized, really, that he had been wearing warmer and warmer clothes. No, it took until he saw his boyfriend in a cute scarf-beanie combo, standing in front of a sign that said “PEPPERMINT LATTES” for him to realize that winter had truly started. It was the first of December and he and Luke had been wearing jackets consistently for about 2 weeks, but it took the promise of warmth and peppermint for the season to really sink in. Luke had always had a sweet tooth and a sweet soul, so Ashton knew with only a look that they were going to go inside to ‘celebrate the start of the holidays’. He also knew that Luke would give him sad eyes if he ordered his usual black coffee, no sugar. “It's the holidays, Ashton,” Luke would say with a twinkle in his voice “you get to indulge.” Never mind that Ashton didn't entirely see a sugar explosion of a drink as an indulgence, it didn't matter because Luke looked cute with the red cup between his gloved hands and Ashton liked the whipped cream from when he was done plenty. 

The little coffee shop was warm, both in temperature and atmosphere. It already had little Christmas lights up around the room, and there were various ornaments hanging wherever they could be placed. Cute, Ashton thought, it suited the couple well. 

On instinct, Ashton grabbed his boyfriend's arm, pressing his nose into Luke’s Gryffindor scarf that Ashton had bought him the previous Christmas. It smelled like their apartment, and cold, and like Luke. He couldn't help but kiss the shoulder it was resting on. 

Luke ordered first, a peppermint latte with milk in it to cool it down a bit. He ordered with a bright smile and warm eyes. Ashton wouldn't have been shocked if the barista was a little bit in love with Luke, with how polite he was. Ashton was more than a little bit in love, anyone could see it, which became evident in the small smile the barista gave him while asking “and for you, sir?”

Ashton ordered the same as Luke, minus the milk, and adding a little tree-shaped cookie for them to share. He grabbed onto Luke again like his life depended on it, and they whispered softly to each other while they waited. 

“D’you think it'll snow soon?” Luke asked, nudging Ashton softly with his head. 

“Maybe,” Ashton replied, “it's been a pretty wet year, so I'm sure we’ll have it by Christmas at the very least.”

“You think? Well, should we put up decorations soon? Y’know, if the coffee shops are in the spirit, maybe we should be too.”

“If you want to, yeah. You know I like doing it early. Why don't we wait to get a tree, though. So it doesn't die.”

“Yeah, that's a good idea. I always get sad when trees die around, like New Years. It'd be heartbreaking if it was dead during Christmas.” And that was Luke, in many ways. God, Ashton loved him. Before he could respond, their orders were up.

“I forgot to ask,” the barista said “to stay or to go?”

“The park you like is right near by, right? Wanna go sit on a bench there?” Luke asked, and who was Ashton to refuse. 

They walked hand in hand for the few blocks to the park, so close they bumped into each other and so slowly that it didn't matter at all to their coffees. Although the flavor wasn't exactly his thing, Ashton had to admit the warmth was nice and he felt more festive than before. Nice was, over all, the perfect way to put it. 

Now, Ashton was a coffee addict, put simply. No matter how hot, how bitter, how strong he'd have it done in the time it took to eat breakfast. But he found himself wanting to pace himself on this, savoring the memory more than the taste. 

As strange as it may have been, Luke was beautiful when he was cold. He had incredibly pale skin, and the chill brought a natural flush to his cheeks. His nose, pointed quite like a fairy’s, also got a red twinge. He didn't mind though, and maybe that's what made it beautiful. He looked cold but there was a smile on his face and his eyes were bright regardless. Beautiful. 

“You're beautiful, you know that?” Ashton asked. Honestly, he couldn't keep it in if he tried. 

“So’re you, babe,” Luke replied with a shy smile and a further blush, “your hair gets all cute in the cold too. Like way curlier.”

All Ashton could do was laugh. They walked the rest of the way to the park in relative silence, sitting on a bench near the pond that was soon to be frozen. Their body heat intertwined they were so close together, and Ashton could smell the peppermint on Luke’s breath. Maybe this is what heaven is like. 

“I love you,” Luke said, startling Ashton out of his thoughts “like, a lot. You're my favorite out of anything ever.”

“I love you too. Like a lot,” Ashton replied, taking his hand out of Luke's and brushing the younger boy’s cheek. 

“We've been together for almost three years.”

“That's true. It's been the best almost three years of my life, by the way.”

“Mine too. I'm happy we’re spending Christmas alone together this year. Going back to our families was fun and all, but it'll be nice to have it be just us, y’know? And Mike and Cal.”

“Totally, yeah. We get to do whatever we want. We could have, like, pizza, if we wanted.”

“We could,” Luke replied laughing, “I think I probably want like, turkey, or something though. Pizza would be a little weird.”

“Mike would love it.”

“That's true. He would. What are you even supposed to have for Christmas? I don't think I remember what we usually eat.”

“Uh, ham?” Ashton guessed. 

“No I think that's Easter. I'm not sure though. Maybe there isn't one?”

“Maybe not,” and yeah, they could've googled it, but they were too busy enjoying each other’s company. 

The sky above them was a warm grey color, and the world was quiet. There were children walking around the pond with their parents, here and there, but otherwise they were alone. The trees had lost their leaves long ago, so the only source of color was themselves and the pine trees scattered here and there. Snow wouldn't come for a few more days, but the world was silent, readily awaiting the sleep. Ashton had never felt more at peace. He had work early the next morning, in a little record store the street down from their apartment, but it didn't feel real at all. In fact, though perhaps in a way this was the fantasy, all that felt real was Luke, himself, and the remnants of his peppermint latte. Just as it should be. 

The Canadian geese around them honked loudly, by somehow even that didn't break the calm. Ashton cuddled into Luke, putting his now-empty cup down on the ground and holding Luke closer, closer still. He brushed the little bit of foam that had managed to escape the black lid from Luke’s lip. His lip ring was cold against Ashton’s finger, and he admired Luke's dedication to his style. Honestly, he just admired Luke in every sense of the world. And when Luke looked back at him, blue eyes filled with the warmth of their bed waiting back at home, he felt admired back. He couldn't wait for a lifetime of this. 

What happened next was a natural progression. Luke put his cup down as well, and smiled softly at Ashton. Ashton, in turn, laughed gently before petting Luke’s hair underneath his hat. Luke then grabs Ashton’s jacket collar and pulls the older, smaller boy closer.

This is not their first kiss. Not at all. They have a rhythm. Luke shuts his eyes, then Ashton does moments later. Their lips meet gently at first, never missing. Ashton is no longer startled by the feeling of Luke’s piercing. Luke bites down gently on Ashton’s lip, and Ashton licks Luke’s lower lip before pulling away and kissing the younger boy’s shoulder. They don't want to cause a scene, and as such, they ignore the scandalized soccer mom shielding the eyes of her two children and sending them a death glare. 

They stay for a bit longer, hands intertwined, sharing occasional thoughts and kisses, only leaving when it begins to get dark. The small city that they live in has just put the Christmas lights up on the lamp poles and public-property trees. It lights the couples lives just as much as it does their paths. They take the long way home, in spite of just how cold their toes have gotten. Everything is beautiful. 

 

They fall into bed that night after eating dinner putting out a few decorations that they can find easily. Sleep won't come for hours, they both know, but their bed is warm and their company is perfect. When they do enter dreams, it's not so much an escape or a respite from real life as it used to be. It's a nice feeling, wanting to be awake. Having someone, to be awake for, someone to experience, someone to look forward to. Life feels a little bit like a peppermint latte this early December night, only Ashton likes it a lot more.

**Author's Note:**

> I've written more fanfic than I know what to do with, but this is the first one I have ever posted, so this is a very exciting occasion for me!


End file.
